Kathleen Wood! She has 30 years of restaurant leadership experience, she was the Co-founder and President of the Leadership Institute at Elliot Group, President and COO of Rasing Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Founder of Suzy’s Swirl, and for 14 years has served as Founder and CEO of Kathleen Wood Partners. And she is the author of Founderology – wow!

Here are a few highlights from this episode:

Featured takeaway: The best restaurant brands invest in their leadership pipeline, especially at the GM level.

“If one of my clients is growing, where are they investing? They’re investing in their leadership pipeline.

Growth used to be constricted by supply chain, but I think today growth is constricted by a lack of leaders sitting in those GM seats. And it’s not about teaching them how to be a great shift person. It’s about teaching them how to be a great leader of your business.”

What is the most important aspect of the guest experience nowadays?

“You have to do a root-cause analysis.”

What is a successful tactic or strategy you’ve tried lately?

“Don’t succumb to raising prices. Why don’t we look at other ways to keep our margins, and to keep our bottom line without always having to be a price increase. So let’s look at things like packaging portioning products, stacks, you know.”

Who deserves an Ovation in the restaurant industry?

Bagel Bowls in Long Island, NY, and the Tap Room.